Tall Shadows
by SakuraAngel3
Summary: What happens between the time when Shadow decides to give up for being too old and reunites with Peter? This is an idea of what might have happened.
1. Despair

Tall Shadows

**Author's Note: This story is only my idea of what could happened between the scene in **_**Homeward Bound**_** where Shadow seemingly gives up and then reappears at the end to his master, Peter. I only own my original characters Gunner, Spear (the black wolf), Max, Fiona, and Grace. Italics are character thoughts. If you think Chance is a different breed such as a Pit Bull I checked the information on Wikipedia.**

Shadow sank into the muck that surrounded him. Rotten planks of wood had catapulted the elder Golden Retriever into a hole of thick, stinking mud. His golden coat had been dipped a murky brown and the ache in his leg screamed at him. Shadow stared up balefully at the determined young American Bulldog in front of him. Chance, the headstrong, naïve, but loyal white American Bulldog with black spots pleaded with the older dog. _Ah, the foolish pup,_ Shadow though. It was the pup pushing him onward instead of vice versa.

"You're not giving up! You said it yourself, we have a duty to our humans," Chance huffed and growled.

"Shadow, Peter needs you. We need you." Sassy pleaded as she mewed into the hole and her fluffy tails swished back and forth in agitation.

Shadow tiled his head and spoke slowly, "No, Pup, you and Sassy have learned all I can give you. Peter…Peter deserves a whole dog and not the shell of an old broken one," Shadow groaned as the pain in his leg gnawed more deeply at him.

"NO! Peter needs you and we're going together!" Chance stated and grabbed Shadow by his scruff and attempted to drag the old dog towards the embankment. The mellow, gentle Golden Retriever grew annoyed and for the first time in his life lunged and sank his teeth into Chance's shoulder. He didn't break the skin; the bite was only a warning for Chance to desist. Chance yelped and jumped back in surprise. Sassy hissed to demonstrate her disapproval.

"Why don't you two understand? I'm done. I'm too old. I can't." Shadow sniffed. Chance glanced at Sassy as if to ask what to do next. The usually sharp-witted cat was silent. For another hour Chance whined and Sassy mewled trying to cajole the Golden Retriever into resuming their journey. He steadfastly refused and closed his eyes falling into a doze. Chance glanced sadly at Sassy and by unspoken agreement decided to continue their journey without the wise old dog who'd initiated it. Silently, Chance climbed up the muddy slippery slope and reached Sassy whose eyes were downcast. Chance's ears were pinned back and his tail tucked firmly between his legs as he and Sassy padded away from their friend. Shadow's nose sank slowly into the thick mud as he began to dream.


	2. These dreams

Shadow stood among the high cliffs where white, puffy clouds were strewn across the sky like fat marshmallows. Shadow was feeling joyous and leaped up playfully to nip at the unattainable clouds. Shadow's tail wagged and he wore a lolling dog smile.

"Loyalty," a gruff, stern voice called causing Shadow to start. Shadow whipped around and saw a tall Golden Retriever that was wheaten blonde with beautiful feathering that swayed lightly in the breeze. His coal black nose twitched and liquid brown eyes peered into Shadow's.

Shadow cautiously moved towards the unknown dog and repeated, "Loyalty?" Shadow sniffed the air but couldn't scent anything dangerous. The other Golden Retriever lifted his head and one word struck Shadow to describe this dog: regal.

The dog moved towards Shadow his body posture welcoming. "Yes, loyalty it's one of our best traits. Loyalty and love which are attributes we should never relinquish. As you said yourself my dear Shadow it has been our job as dogs to be guardians." The other Golden Retriever stopped and licked Shadow's nose.

"How do you know my name?" Shadow sniffed at the dog.

The other dog tilted his head and smiled. "I'm your father, son. My humans named me Gunner. You've given up, my son. I'm here to remind you why a dog can never give up." Gunner explained.

"My father?" Shadow exclaimed in disbelief. "Why are you here now? But I'm too old and so tired," Shadow began to explain.

"No excuses. Just walk beside me," Gunner instructed.

Shadow submitted to the request and the scenery dissolved around them whirling into new colors, shapes, and scents. After a short time, Shadow was able to recognize a dense forest. He spied a human family sitting around a fire. A young child, a little girl, was chasing a dog or on second glance a wolf. The wolf had deep black fur and the fur of the wolf rippled and his green eyes danced. The wolf merrily chased the little girl who giggled and reached out her hands to catch the wolf. The wolf stopped and the little girl hugged the wolf around his neck burying her pink face into his fur. Shadow felt a stab of pain thinking of Peter and how he'd hugged him the exact same way. The mother of the little girl came out and scooped the child up and disappeared into a tent made of animal hides. The wolf trotted over to the man by the fire who was reclining against a tree stump. The wolf laid his head on the man's legs and the man smiled and gently stroked the wolf. The wolf gazed up at the man with eyes full of loyalty and love. The man gently messaged the wolf's head. Shadow closed his eyes and could feel Peter's gentle hands stroking his coat as they cuddled on the couch and then underneath a shady tree in the backyard on a hot day.

"I love you, Shadow," Peter whispered and kissed his dog's nose.

Shadow opened his eyes and the forest dissolved but the black wolf stood in front of Shadow and spoke, "Loyalty, Shadow. Have you forgotten our role and become selfish? You live because your boy does and his soul feeds off yours," the wolf's voice was deep but earthly and full of age without being old. Shadow started to speak but the wolf interrupted him, "We do not make excuses for our devotion drives us on and heals us. Never forget that." The wolf howled and Shadow found himself letting out a howl in return. Suddenly, Shadow was back on the cliffs with Gunner who gazed proudly at his son. He licked Shadow's nose and whispered, "Always remember."


	3. Refuge

Shadow woke up still lying in the thick mud alone. The words of his ancestors rang in his ears and an image of Peter's devastated face when he realized his dog wasn't coming home flashed in his mind. Shadow stood up shakily feeling the weight of the mud clog his usually light fur. Shadow assessed the climb and became filled with new energy. He leaped up the slippery slope and his paws skidded under him as before. Shadow dug into mud and leaped towards the opening. Shadow felt his energy depleting but suddenly felt as if two muzzles pushed him from behind urging him on. Shadow would later say he heard a lonesome howl that made him climb through the mud and claw at the opening. Shadow dug his claws into the opening and shifted his body weight. He saw the pale moonlight highlighting the mud hole and he collapsed and panted from the exertion. A shooting star streaked across the sky and to Shadow's eyes it looked like a paw print. After a brief rest, Shadow continued limping to avoid putting weight on his injured leg. Shadow was still coated in dry mud and felt pain shooting through his body. Shadow decided to find a place to sleep for the night. He spotted a yard with lush green grass and a metal gate which served as another reminder of home. Shadow noticed the gate was ajar and entered the yard. He smelled the air and could smell the two dogs that lived there. One was a large male and the other a small female. Shadow chose a relatively unmarked spot and relieved himself. Shadow chose a grassy spot near the wall of the house and turned around several times before lying down. Shadow crossed his front paws and laid his muzzle down to sleep. Shadow wasn't sure how long he slumbered when he was woken up by a female human voice and two barking dogs. One bark was deeper and more booming, while the other bark was higher and came in short bursts. Shadow drowsily heard the human speak in a voice in a voice he knew people used with their dogs. The human opened the door and shut it quickly and then ran to shut the metal gate. Shadow heard the metallic clang echo in his ears. The human spoke again in the same singsong voice and opened the door as two dogs bolted out to use the bathroom. One was a male yellow Labrador Retriever called Max and the other a female black Scottish Terrier called Fiona. It was Max who smelled Shadow first and bounced over to him with his tail wagging.

"Hello, strange dog! Why are you here? Do you like to chase balls?" Max quipped with boundless enthusiasm.

Shadow was perplexed at first but answered, "I'm Shadow and I'm trying to get home." Max looked perplexed but before he could answer Fiona bounced over barking territoraly as only a terrier can do.

"Intruder! Intruder! How dare you come to my house?" Fiona bared her teeth and growled.

Max seemed amused, "Ah, lighten up on the old fellow, Fiona. He just looks tired."

Fiona stared at her pack mate unconvinced. "How do you know? You think everyone is a potential friend," she snored.

Max just wagged his tail before the human came over and let out a gasp. She spoke in a soothing tones and Shadow could tell she was kind and meant to help him. He wagged his tail limply. The human bent down and Shadow recognized her scent as being from the dog hospital. The woman stroked Shadow's head and lifted his muzzle. She said, "Good boy," and kept speaking in soft tones.

Max and Fiona began to head into their home and Max called, "Come inside. Our human is named Grace and she is a vet. She'll help you." Max disappeared inside the house with Fiona in hot persuit.

Shadow was a bit unsure but his instincts urged him to trust Grace and the two dogs and he followed. Once inside, Shadow stopped at the door unsure of what to do or where to go. The woman called Grace returned from the kitchen with a treat sending Max and Fiona into an excited frenzy. Grace waved them away and wafted the treat in front of Shadow's nose. It did smell good; it smelled like bacon, in fact. Shadow realized he hadn't eaten in a while and his mouth watered. He reached out his tongue to try to swipe the treat but Grace held it aloft and Shadow followed her. Shadow was so focused on the treat he took a moment to realize where she'd led him. It wasn't until after she offered him the treat that Shadow realized the woman had led him into a bathroom. Every time Shadow had been in a bathroom it had been for a bath. Sure enough Grace began to run the water to adjust it to the right temperature. Shadow may be a water dog, but he tolerated baths rather than enjoyed them. There was something vastly different from a bath and running happily through the rain and splashing in a lake. Max wedged his yellow head through the door with a tennis ball lodged firmly in his mouth.

"Wnt tf paf?" Max mumbled.

Shadow pricked his ears. "I'm sorry. I can't understand you with a ball in your mouth."

Max dropped the slobbery ball and answered, "You want to play? There's nothing like a good tennis ball!"

Shadow gave the ball an interested glance and said, "I might take you up on that, Max."

This sent the yellow Lab into a wagging bonanza as he picked his ball back up and pulled his head away from the door. Grace managed to coax Shadow into the tub and began to our shampoo and scrub at the mud and dust embedded in Shadow's coat. The crusted mud was stubborn and Grace spent over an hour getting the dirt out of the dog's fur. Shadow couldn't help but shake himself a couple times causing Grace to squeal in surprise and get nearly as wet as Shadow himself. The whole time Grace spoke soothingly to him and he understood a few phrases such as, "Good boy." Shadow endured about twenty minutes of towel drying and a hair drying to fluff out his coat. Grace finally let Shadow out of the bathroom and Shadow felt tired and his leg still bothered him. Grace noticed this and examined his leg gently even when he yelped in protest. Grace frowned and Shadow could tell that she was worried about him. She gently stroked Shadow's head and Shadow spotted Max and Fiona in the living room. Max was lying down barking during his dreaming. Fiona was enthusiastically playing with a squeaky toy shaped like a rabbit even tossing it and chasing it. Shadow found a spot near the sofa and laid down feeling exhausted.

Fiona looked up from her toy and addressed Shadow, "What happened to you? Where are you from?"

Shadow raised his head and began to speak, "Well, I belong to a boy named Peter. I could tell he was sad about leaving me behind. Our people left us somewhere strange and…" Shadow was abruptly cut off by the sound of dog food hitting the bottom of bowls. Max sat up like a gunshot and raced towards the kitchen.

Fiona was a little more tactful and said, "Why don't you tell both of us your story after dinner?" She then trotted to her own bowl. Instinct had Shadow follow even though he was unsure of his place.


End file.
